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Japtastic
Trending Lyricist I
July 19, 2019

Play 5 - Connected but only plays through headphone jack - Advanced Electronics help required

Hi, I have a Play 5 from around 2013. Great speaker and has been reliably working for years until recently. I presumed it was some sort of software or wifi issue but it's not. The speaker looks like it is operating normally but will only play through the headphone jack.

Apparently this is a common problem and I presume it's a bad cap or mosfet etc somewhere.

Although I'm a fairly competent at board level repair, I don't have the skills to diagnose this.

Can any one give me some pointers on where to be looking on the board or even better, what parts normally go wrong?

I have the powerboard out and there is nothing obviously physically wrong.

Thanks.
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    16 replies

    Stanley_4
    Stanley_4
    Grand Maestro
    July 21, 2019
    I can't but there are a lot of topics here on self-repair. If the forum search is failing to find them for you try using one of the Internet search engines with the site:en.community.sonos.com option.
    JaptasticAuthor
    Trending Lyricist I
    July 21, 2019
    Thanks Stanley but no joy I'm afraid. I have seen people offering to repair this kind of issue so it must be a fairly easy fix. It's just knowing where to look or what components often fail causing this problem.I did find a fair few in depth repairs for the ZP120 but nothing for the Play 5.

    I've often repaired electronics around the home by replacing caps etc but all from following someone that had already done it.

    I really hate the thought of throwing away a £500 speaker for the sake of a £1 capacitor :(

    Hopefully the right person sees this and can lend a hand.
    buzz
    buzz
    Grand Maestro
    July 21, 2019
    There is a mechanical switch associated with the headphone jack. Inserting the headphone plug mutes the speaker. If I was repairing a unit incorporating this sort of switch and with your symptoms, my initial efforts would be centered on the mechanical properties of this switch. Note that SONOS offers an exchange service, but they will not accept any units that have been disassembled in the field.
    JaptasticAuthor
    Trending Lyricist I
    July 21, 2019
    That’s a good shout Buzz will check it out. Most of the repair places seem to mention the amp power that has packed up though.

    I’d rather save the play 5 if I can. It’s not just about the money. £100 off or something isn’t it? For a speaker of this age if sent Sonos for part ex on a new one. I do like to repair rather than bin and replace.

    P.S I won’t be repairing it in a field. Was planning to do it at my repair bench.
    Airgetlam
    Airgetlam
    July 21, 2019
    buzz's "in the field" mention was meant to say "outside of Sonos". Your repair bench would qualify as "in the field" in terms of any potential Sonos replacement offer.
    Bruce
    JaptasticAuthor
    Trending Lyricist I
    July 21, 2019
    Clearly my attempt at humour failed 🙂
    106rallye
    106rallye
    July 21, 2019
    Isn’t the “headphone jack” on the Play:5 an “in” instead of an “out”? So no mute switch?
    Airgetlam
    Airgetlam
    July 21, 2019
    Sorry. It went completely over my incomprehending head. (Edit: In my defense, it was pre-caffiene)

    :)

    And no, the headphone jack on a gen 1 PLAY:5 is an output. It was removed on the gen 2 PLAY:5.
    Bruce
      Ken_Griffiths
      Ken_Griffiths
      July 21, 2019
      japtastic,

      As the Play: 5 (gen1) is out of warranty and you want to give the repair a go. I would simply open the box up and take a look. You maybe able to see what the issue is. However (and i know this is a bit obvious) before actually doing that, have you tried a factory reset?

      YouTube has a few videos on teardown and fuse replacement/repairs etc. so that maybe worth a search / looksee.
      buzz
      buzz
      Grand Maestro
      July 22, 2019
      buzz's "in the field" mention was meant to say "outside of Sonos". Your repair bench would qualify as "in the field" in terms of any potential Sonos replacement offer.

      For someone who is concerned about the environment, an "In the field" repair would not be a bad choice. If the repair fails, simply leave the unit in the field for composting.
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